This package investigates the history of Santa Claus, starting almost 2000 years ago with Bishop Nicholas in Turkey. It's an ideal resource to use with students in last few days before the Christmas break, or to leave for a supply teacher. The package includes: - both text and video versions of the information piece 'Who is Santa Claus?' - an anticipation guide (before reading/listening activity) - multiple choice questions - thought-provoking short answer questions - word study focusing on challenging words - word study focusing on adjectives and verbs - a timeline activity with student samples - a crossword puzzle for early finishers

1. 1
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon

2. 2
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Teachers:
The following Smart Notebook package investigates the history of
Santa Claus, starting almost 2000 years ago in Turkey. It's an ideal
package to use in last few days before the Christmas break, or to
leave for a supply teacher.
It includes:
- both text and video versions of 'Who is Santa Claus?'
- an anticipation guide (before reading/listening)
- multiple choice quiz
- thought-provoking short answer questions
- word study focusing on challenging words
- word study focusing on adjectives and verbs
- a timeline activity with student samples
- a crossword puzzle for early finishers
- an attached PDF version for photocopying

3. 3
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Anticipation Guide
T/F Statement T/F Proof Sentence
The tradition of hanging a stocking
developed because children often hung
their stockings by the fire to dry.
Santa was not always dressed in red
and white.
Painter Norman Rockwell helped
develop Santa's current image.
It's believed that Scottish settlers
brought the tradition of Saint Nicholas to
North America.
The Feast Day celebrating Saint
Nicholas was held on December 25th.
Before Reading/Listening After Reading/Listening

4. 4
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Anticipation Guide
T/F Statement T/F Proof Sentence
The Dutch called Santa Claus, Père
Noel.
It was the Roman Catholic Church
that selected December 25th as the
date for Christmas.
Santa wears red and white
thanks to the Coca-Cola
Company.
A poem largely shaped Santa's
current appearance.
The story of Santa Claus began
almost 2000 years ago.
Instructions: Before reading/listening to 'Who is Santa Claus?', read each statement below
and record a T (true) or an F (false) in the first column. After reading/listening complete the
second T/F column. Lastly, write a sentence from the reading, that either proves or disproves
each statement.
Before Reading/Listening After Reading/Listening

5. 5
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
He’s known around the world as Old Saint Nicholas, Père Noel
and, of course, Santa Claus. But who is this mysterious fat man in
red who delivers gifts around the world on Christmas Eve?
Santa Claus can be traced back to Bishop Nicholas who lived
almost 2000 years ago in a country called Turkey. He performed a
number of miracles, and was made a saint following his death.
Saint Nicholas was celebrated each year with a December 6th feast
day.
Many, many years ago, the Roman Catholic Church made
December 25th the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus as the actual
date was unknown. And because they fell in the same month,
Saint Nicholas’s feast day and Christmas fused into one
celebration.
It’s believed the tradition of Saint Nicholas became rooted in
North America with the arrival of Dutch settlers, and a wave of
interest in Dutch Customs in the late 1700s. The Dutch referred to
him as ‘Sinter Klaas’, very similar to today’s Santa Claus.
The New York Historical Society hosted its first Saint Nicholas
anniversary dinner in 1810, commissioning an artist who sketched
Saint Nick as a religious figure who left gifts in the stockings of
children which had been hung by the fireplace to dry.

6. 6
Likely the biggest influence on our current image of Santa Claus
came from the 1822 poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas. Combining
several customs, the author wrote about a tiny man with a sleigh
pulled by miniature reindeer, who flew from house-to-house
delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. That poem has been reprinted
many times under the much more familiar title, The Night Before
Christmas.
Through the 1800s, Santa Claus was often shown wearing different
colours including purple, green, blue and red. The other colours
faded in popularity, and by the early 1900s, Santa was portrayed in a
red suit with white trim.
Some credit Santa’s colour choices to a series of Coca-Cola ads in the
1940s which showed him dressed in the red and white colours of
Coca-Cola. In reality, Santa Claus had already been associated with
those colours years before - helped by a number of Norman Rockwell
paintings showing him as a jolly man suited up in red and white.

7. 7
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
video version

8. 8
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Multiple Choice
1. A Feast Day was held each December 6th to celebrate _____________.
a) Santa Claus
b) Roman Catholic Church
c) Saint Nicholas
d) Bishop Nicholas
2. The Roman Catholic Church decided that Christmas would fall on December
25th because _____________.
a) Saint Nicholas was born on that day
b) the actual date of Jesus' birth was unknown
c) Jesus was born on that day
d) Feast Day was in the same month
3. The tradition of hanging a stocking by the fire was developed by ____________.
a) Sinter Klaas
b) Bishop Nicholas
c) the Coca-Cola Company
d) an artist hired by the New York Historical Society
4. The biggest influence on Santa's current persona (image) was ___________.
a) a poem
b) the Coca-Cola Company
c) Dutch settlers
d) the New York Historical Society

9. 9
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Short Answer
1. The Coca-Cola Company has used Santa Claus in their advertisements for
years. Do you think that large corporations such as Coke should be able to use
iconic figures like Santa Claus to sell their products? Explain your thinking.
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2. Santa Claus is said to keep a list of children who have been naughty, and a list of
those who have been nice. On which list do you think your name is written?
Explain your thinking.
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10. 10
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Word Study
One strategy for figuring out challenging words, is to look for clues in nearby
sentences. Use this strategy to complete the following.
fused
meaning:
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your sentence:
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mysterious
meaning:
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your sentence:
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customs
meaning:
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your sentence:
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11. 11
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Word Study
influence
meaning:
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your sentence:
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religious
meaning:
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your sentence:
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portrayed
meaning:
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your sentence:
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associated
meaning:
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your sentence:
_________________________________________________________________
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12. 12
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Word Study
rooted
meaning:
_________________________________________________________________
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your sentence:
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popularity
meaning:
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your sentence:
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commissioning
meaning:
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your sentence:
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_________________________________________________________________

13. 13
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Word Study
A good writer uses awesome adjectives and vivid verb.
Adjectives are words that describe nouns.
'...what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight
tiny reindeer.'
Verbs are action words; the 'doing' part of the sentence.
'The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums
danced in their heads.'
Rewrite the sentences below with your own awesome adjectives. You may use a
thesaurus to assist.
1. 'But who is this mysterious fat man in red who delivers gifts around the world
on Christmas Eve?'
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2. 'Combining several customs, the author wrote about a tiny man with a sleigh
pulled by miniature reindeer.'
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__________________________________________________________________

14. 14
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Word Study
A good writer uses awesome adjectives and vivid verbs.
Adjectives are words that describe nouns.
'...what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight
tiny reindeer.'
Verbs are action words; the 'doing' part of the sentence.
'The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums
danced in their heads.'
Rewrite the sentences below with your own vivid verbs. You may use a thesaurus to
assist.
1. 'The other colours faded in popularity, and by the early 1900s, Santa was
portrayed in a red suit with white trim.'
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. 'And because they fell in the same month, Saint Nicholas's feast day and
Christmas fused into one celebration.'
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__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

15. 15
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Timeline
A timeline is a method of displaying events in chronological order (by dates, starting
from the earliest). Many timelines use graphics to help explain the events and to
make them visually appealing.
On a separate piece of paper, create a timeline of Santa Claus, beginning with
Bishop Nicholas through to today. You will want to plan out the events and the
required spacing before beginning your final draft. Be sure to add graphics to make
your timeline visually appealing to others.
I am including a few student timeline samples.

16. 16
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Timeline Sample

17. 17
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Timeline Sample

18. 18
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Timeline Sample

19. 19
Who is Santa Claus?
The Making of an Icon
Crossword
Across
1. this holiday was fused together with Feast Day
4. they call him Sinter Klaas
7. Bishop Nicholas was given this title following
his death
8. this painter may be the first to portray Santa in
red and white
10.the celebration to honour Saint Nicholas
Down
2. how Santa laughs
3. something that is carried on year after year
5. the size of Santa's reindeer
6. Bishop Nicholas performed these
9. some people wrongly believe that this company
came up with Santa's current colours (red and white)
11.these are often hung by a fireplace